Just kids
by AvaEobane
Summary: It was only a rainy day in Magnolia when a young water mage met an equally young ice mage but their meeting changed their lives. Happy Gruvia-week, everyone!


**Just kids**

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**Summary**: _It was only a rainy day in Magnolia when a young water mage met an equally young ice mage but their meeting changed their lives._

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She hated her life because it was a nightmare. She was eight years old and the other children hated her because wherever she was, it rained and they wanted to play outside which was not possible when it rained. So they accused her of making it rain on purpose. To her, every moment of her life was a moment of loneliness and deep down, she wanted nothing more than to escape but she had nowhere to go.

Magnolia's orphanage was full this winter after many people had died from an illness and no one noticed the blue-haired girl leaving the building to take a stroll through the abandoned park. For all the misery it caused, the rain also protected her from villains who rather stayed in the warm houses so maybe, it was not all that bad.

Her tears were invisible in the rain and in her pocket, her left hand curled up into a tight little fist. She hated her life but even though everyone blamed her, she knew that it was not her fault. She was not to blame for the rain and everything else. The others were responsible for this. At least she tried to tell herself this because she was sick of blaming herself all the time. She could not do this anymore. It was too painful for her. She hated herself for being too shy to speak up for herself because the words she had never said burnt in her throat and it hurt so much that she was always shunned for something she had no influence on.

* * *

He was unhappy with his current situation. His life seemed to be dark even after Ur, his beloved teacher, had sacrificed herself to seal his darkness and his life was sad and he tried very hard not to cry even though he wanted nothing more than that. After Ur's so-called death, he had left the North and currently, he was in Magnolia where he strolled through the park as it rained. It was freezing cold but he did not the cold because the emptiness in his mind was far worse.

Lyon, his former co-apprentice had run off and had left him behind. Deep down, the black-haired boy was ashamed of his mistake that had caused Ur's death but he wondered why Lyon had left him. It seemed to be the start of a game and he wondered where the sense in such a game was if there was no one left to win. Perhaps it was the only thing Lyon could still do as he was just as unhappy about Ur's death as the younger boy but it was over even though Lyon did not seem to accept this but he had had the chance to surpass Ur and it had not been enough. The black-haired boy wished that he could take his decision back it was over and just like Lyon, he had to accept that nothing would bring Ur back.

By now, he was used to this loneliness. He hated the feeling though because he missed the people he had lost. He sighed deeply as he walked through the rain. He had no umbrella but on his right side, a blue-haired girl had a bright pink umbrella.

* * *

"Um … you … could I please come under your umbrella for a moment?" a black-haired boy asked as he looked at the blue-haired girl with a shy smile.

"S-sure," she replied slightly confused for was not used to such politeness. "Why are you out in the rain without an umbrella anyway? You will get sick!"

"Don't worry," he grinned. "I never get sick."

"Oh … Juvia apologises."

"Juvia? That's a really nice name, Juvia-chan. My name is Gray. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Gray-kun," she said as she blushed at the kindness. "But you aren't from around here, are you? You sound different from the other people…"

"Yeah … that's right … I am from the North but my teacher … left and so I am searching for a guild to join. I'm an Ice Mage, by the way."

"That's really cool," she smiled. "I'm a mage as well."

"Thanks," he replied. "You are probably a water mage, right? That's why the rain doesn't bother you at all, I guess. Water Magic is pretty awesome as well."

"T-thanks," she stuttered. "You are very kind to Juvia."

"I was taught to be polite," he grinned. "Where do you live?"

"In an orphanage," she muttered quietly. "That's not so good."

"Why don't you join a guild?" he asked. "You're a mage after all and you could grow in a guild … and my teacher always said that you can find friends there…"

"No one wants to be Juvia's friend … because Juvia makes the rain," she whispered, expecting him to get up and leave her in the dust like everyone else. "And Juvia cannot control it. Wherever she is, it rains cats and dogs."

But the boy did not get up from the bench they were sitting on. "You know … magic is often controlled by emotions," he said slowly. "And when you are sad, this causes the rain … but what would happen if you were happy, Juvia-chan?"

She froze. "Juvia is never happy," she stated.

"Really?" he asked. "Why not?"

"The other children … look down on Juvia and they are mean to her … they don't understand."

"So, we're both outcasts then?" he sighed as he stared into the rain that seemed to weaken. "I … I tend to lose my clothes sometimes … because we trained in little clothing in the cold, I guess."

"And I never saw the sky," she whispered.

"That's really sad … and worse than losing clothes … because the sky is so beautiful … and blue – just like your hair," he said. "Still, the kids at the orphanage make you sad, right? So you should leave. Come with me, alright? We will find a guild for us … a guild where everyone is different … where no one judges us for being different."

"Do you think that there is such a guild?" she asked as she frowned slightly. "Do you really think that there is a guild that accepts that I am different like that?"

"I am pretty sure that there has to be a guild that accepts mages like you and me," he shrugged. "And if they don't want you, I won't join either and they will never have an awesome Ice Mage like me … and they would bitterly regret not accepting you."

"You are kinda crazy, Gray-kun," she sighed.

"I know," he grinned as he jumped up. "But look, the rain is stopping! If the clouds disappear, you can see the sky! C'mon, we climb on top of that hill so we can see it even better."

"B-but there are already people," she said shyly. "And they surely don't want to be disturbed."

"Ah, who cares?" he asked. "That's a public park and they can't say anything against us, Juvia-chan. And if they are mean to you, I will freeze them!"

"You are really crazy," she sighed as she closed her umbrella because it only drizzled and he dragged her to the hill from where they watched the stars.


End file.
